Montana is grizzly bear country, so we thought we’d visit the Montana Grizzly Encounter in Bozeman, where a handful of these beautiful bears live. A grizzly bear rescue and education sanctuary, the place is home to bears who have been rescued and cannot live in the wild.
Bella, a three-year-old bear, was rescued at five months old. She had been in a tree for five days, awaiting her mother’s return, when someone found her. No one knows what happened to her mother, but Bella was very underweight when she was brought to the sanctuary. She was so young when her mother left that she never learned how to forage for food for herself in the wild, and she would likely not survive if returned to it.
This is Bella:
As for the other bears at the sanctuary, they have never lived in the wild. They were all rescued from inhumane, captive situations. For instance, one of the bears living there had been held in a small trailer for several years of her life.
The goal of this rescue is to provide these bears with the best possible life, while also educating the public. They educate school groups, families, and other visitors on bear safety and conservation. For example, the saying “A fed bear is a dead bear” means that just one meal provided by a human to a bear in the wild can mean that bear’s demise. It will start associating humans with easy food.
It was great to watch these bears, who all have their own personalities, play and interact with one another. Bella, for instance, is a very active, playful young bear. Brutus, who was the first bear at the sanctuary, is 900 pounds and has been in several movies. Bella and Brutus get along together very well. Maggi and Jake, who came to the Montana Grizzly Encounter together, still spend most of their time with one another; Jake is very photogenic and likes to pose for crowds, and Maggi seems to still struggle with some anxiety from her former life. She loves to play with Jake, though.
This is Brutus (playing with Bella in a couple):
We learned a lot of safety rules for hiking in bear country. First, it’s important to always go in groups, as there is safety in numbers. Next, it’s essential that you make noise. If a bear hears humans approaching, it will not be unexpectedly startled by them. Instead, it will generally keep out of sight if it knows people are in the area. It’s also important to never carry anything with a scent: food, gum, medication, lotion, lip balm, etc. Bears can smell for miles. Small children should walk between adults. Bear spray is highly recommended and has saved lives. You spray it toward the ground if a bear approaches, and it will rise up to the bear and into its nostrils, sending the bear away. It’s like a very, very, very strong pepper spray. Most bear attacks have occurred when a bear was startled, protecting its young, or guarding its food. If humans avoid these situations, they will likely stay safe.
We also learned what to do if we were to ever come up on a bear: Slowly back away, without turning your back on the bear, while keeping your eyes to the side (not looking at the bear straight on). While backing away, speak. Say things like, “I’m just going to go back this way,” and ease on out. This is showing the bear respect, rather than showing fear or aggression.
The people who own the Montana Grizzly Encounter are fantastic. They are so dedicated to teaching others about the bears, and they clearly care for the animals in their care. It does not cost much at all to visit the sanctuary ($12 for a family of 4 with a Groupon deal, and about twice that without), but the money goes to help these grizzlies. Also, the small gift shop has lots of cool stuff. The girls got a couple of T-shirts that feature Bella and Brutus on them and a kid’s book about Bella.
This is Jake and Maggi (Maggi is the smaller and the lighter of the two):
We met Bill, who is one of the three owners (there are several other employees in addition to them), and he was happy to talk with us endlessly about the bears living there, his own personal experience handling them and caring for them, bear safety, and conservation. He is clearly very passionate about these animals and was really helpful in educating us.
We felt like this was such a different experience from visiting a zoo or a wildlife park. It was definitely all about what’s best for the bears, making sure people know how to stay safe and respect grizzlies, and how to insure that these bears remain in the wild for future generations to see. We walked away feeling like we learned a lot about the bears, and while I still don’t want to meet one in the wild, I feel like I’ve been educated on what to do if it ever does happen. These bears are all spayed and neutered and no bears are ever bred there, and they are only at this sanctuary because they can never survive in the wild. It was really obvious that this place is not about making profit. It really is about the love of the grizzlies.
4ina5 